Wrestlers Ready For Sun Devil Duals

PHILADELPHIA - After more than a month away from outside competition, the No. 23 Penn wrestling team returns to action Sunday at the Sun Devil Duals being hosted by Arizona State.

ASU’s Wells Fargo Arena will have a pair of mats on the floor Sunday, as two duals will be held simultaneously. At noon, the Sun Devils and Army Black Knights will meet while the Quakers and Grand Canyon Antelopes face one another on the second mat. At 1:30 p.m., it will be a battle of Arizona, with the Devils and 'Lopes meeting on one mat, while the East Coast battle of Army vs. Penn will take place on the second mat.

The 3 p.m. finale figures to be extra special for Penn head coach Zeke Jones, as his team will square off against the host school which is coached by Jones’ former ASU teammate Thom Ortiz. Army and GCU square off on the second mat.

In fact, the whole weekend will be special for Jones. During the Duals, all alums in attendance will be honored, which a separate presentation taking place to honor the University’s 1988 NCAA championship team of which Jones was a part.

Penn's trip to Arizona State also represents a bit of reciprocation, as the Sun Devils initially made the trip East earlier this season to participate in the Quakers' Keystone Classic.

For many of Penn’s wrestlers, this will be their first competition since the Cliff Keen Invitational, which took place Dec. 1-2 in Las Vegas. The Quakers will be headlined by three wrestlers currently ranked nationally in their weight class: Rollie Peterkin (eighth at 125 lbs), Lior Zamir (13th at 184 lbs) and Cesar Grajales (15th at 149 lbs).